It can sometimes be difficult to find certain objects or substances on a floor or other surface. Things like broken glass and slippery liquids may pose bodily hazards if left undetected on a surface. Liquids, especially those with corrosive or staining properties, may damage a surface and other things they contact. Jewelry and other valuable items may be lost or broken if not quickly found. Generally speaking, it can be especially difficult to find objects of small size, high transparency, and/or similar coloration as a surface on which they are disposed.
Current illumination systems for finding objects on a surface have some disadvantages. In one aspect, some systems may require a user to move around and contort into awkward positions in order to see any light reflected off an object. In another aspect, some systems may create a glare on the surface making it difficult to visually detect and distinguish an object thereon. In yet another aspect, illumination used by some systems may be weak or unconcentrated, thereby exhibiting limited detection capability beyond certain distances. Conversely, some systems may be too focused and exhibit a limited span of detection coverage, thereby making it difficult, tedious, time-consuming, and sometimes a matter of luck to eventually illuminate an object on a surface and then not miss it visually. In still another aspect, systems may not be submersible or otherwise capable of detecting objects on a submerged surface, such as the bottom of a swimming pool. It can be very costly and inconvenient to find and remove hazardous objects such as broken glass from the bottom of a swimming pool, as often the pool must be completely drained to ensure all shards are found.
In light of these issues, it would be desirable to provide a way to easily illuminate an object on a surface and do so with confidence that most, if not all, such objects that may be present are located.